County assessor's office passes state review

Thursday

Jan 24, 2013 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - A state review of the San Joaquin County office in charge of determining the value of taxes paid by property owners found that the local operation meets state standards and most of the properties in the county are properly assessed.

The Record

STOCKTON - A state review of the San Joaquin County office in charge of determining the value of taxes paid by property owners found that the local operation meets state standards and most of the properties in the county are properly assessed.

The Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk's Office has been busy during the tumultuous recent past in the county housing market free fall that affected the assessed value of property.

The county's assessment roll of $53.9 billion from the 2010-11 fiscal year was down from a peak of $63.3 billion just three years before, according to the survey released by the state Board of Equalization on Wednesday. In a single year, the county assessor would assess a lower value for more than 100,000 properties.

While lower assessments mean lower property-tax bills for owners, it translates to lower revenue and cuts to government agencies. Some people have wondered if county assessors are more conscious of the counties' bottom lines than the actual value, so the state audit is designed to ensure fairness for all.

And the process for determining those values in San Joaquin County is up to snuff, according to the state.

The report is a validation of the fairness and accuracy of how the process is conducted in the county, Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk Ken Blakemore said. "It really is. We feel quite good about it," he said.

Based on fieldwork conducted from November to December 2010, the report included 16 recommendations for improvement.

The Board of Equalization reviews each county's practices and publishes a report every five years.

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